


Arranged Running Buddies

by Onlymostydead



Series: Fictober 2019 [6]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crushes, Friendly banter, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Trans Link, Trans Male Character, cross country au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 05:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20961308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: When Zelda convinced Link to come out for cross country, he was expecting to run for a long time, and for that to be unpleasant, yeah, but bearable, since he'd have a friend.He was not expecting to fall for the Revali, the fastest - and least humble - runner on the team.A.K.A. The one where there's only one water bottle.





	Arranged Running Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> Fictober Day 8!
> 
> Also, I love Cross country, I just finished my last high school season, it's a great sport.

Come out for at least the first day of cross country running, Zelda said. It'll be fun, Zelda said.

Link lamented silently to himself as he ran, sweating and panting and feeling like he was dying in the boiling heat. It was easily ninety degrees out, probably hotter, and he was suffering. Not literally passing out, but it certainly felt like he was close. As 'in shape' as he was from a summer of hard work, running this far was a different kind of grueling, and one he was not accustomed to. 

But, naturally, Zelda singled him out as one of the ones who had been running, because she knew that he worked out. So he was sent down one of the longer trails with some of the more experienced runners... Most of whom he had lost entirely. Not as in they were so far behind him. One had stopped to wait for something - he hadn't quite caught that - but the rest really just left him in their dust. 

Literally, in some parts of the trail. It was dry and awful.

Long story short, he was really regretting not running with Zelda and her group about now. They were just running once around a little lake nearby the school; the whole loop was a little under two miles, at most, and mainly in the shade. Out here? It was lonely, and hot, and tiring, and-

He spoke too soon; here was the sound of footsteps approaching from the back, and the last of the experienced runners coming up to pass him.

"Ah, you must be the new kid joining the team. Link, was it?" He said in a smooth voice, as if he was completely unperturbed by the fact that they were currently running. "Zelda mentioned you. Well, it's good to see you've been keeping in shape over the summer, though I can't imagine you know the trails we run, do you?"

He shook his head.

"Disappointing." The runner clicked his tongue. "Well, my name is Revali, and I suppose I'll have to run in the back of the pack with you for today. Don't expect that in the future. I'll be far, far ahead."

Link frowned. He had a haughty air about him, in how he spoke and in how he ran... Though, maybe he was just in good running shape. There was no denying that he looked good, though. With his long, dark blue hair pulled up into a tight ponytail held by an electric green scrunchie. His dark skin glistened with sweat, but not so much that he looked bedraggled. In fact, he could have even been wearing makeup. 

The way he held his body was much the same, all shoulders back and chest forward. His body looked like what all runners did in advertisements, in his loose red tank top, bound tight around his waist with a sky blue fanny pack. He wore little, breezy white shorts - showing off his long legs - and red... Socks? No, compression sleeves, Zelda wore those sometimes, and brightly colored running shoes. But Link had to admit, he was a little caught on the legs.

As much of a dick as he came across with the, 'running back here with you' thing.

"You know, you'll have an easier time of it if you put your head back a bit." Revali told him, indicating his own heads position. "Not that far, idiot. It opens up the airway. Then drop your arms down, so that when you swing them your wrists could just brush against your hips... If you held your arms that close, that is. There. You see? Much better."

He had to admit that it was better. Breathing still wasn't easy, per se, but he felt a little bit more free.

"And loosen up your shoulders, for fucks sake. You look so stiff, it's terrible."

Getting more than a little bit annoyed with Revali's shit, Link did what he said. Loose shoulders, head back, arms down - at this point, he was just copying what he looked like and hoping for the best. It felt more than a little silly, running around with his chest out, in the sweaty, awful heat, next to this gorgeous super-experienced runner. But he felt better, and...

"So, why are you here?" He asked, a little further down the trail. "We'll be turning left up here."

Link, unable to sign distinguishably and run well at the same time, shrugged.

"Zelda said that you're her friend, but that's not a good enough reason. At least, I don't think so."

Another shrug.

Revali snorted. "The silent treatment, huh? You know, running goes much more quickly if you just suck it up and talk. Unless, of course, you're so out of breath."

He didn't acknowledge that; how was he supposed to without either looking like an asshole, or an insecure dweeb?

"You'll find that a great many of us are quite competitive. Cross country is, contrary to popular belief, a sport that has an extreme level of talent and hard work required... In order to succeed, that is. It isn't just a sport that you can come out, jog, and do extraordinarily well."

Link nodded. It felt like the right thing to do.

"Good! Some level of acknowledgement." He scoffed. "And beyond that, I know that I started the workout late, but that was because I was speaking to coach. I was our most valuable person on the team last year, and expect to be again. Number one runner on the varsity team. Even though I am currently running all the way in the back-"

Eye roll. Was he done stoking his ego already? Link understood that he was hot, and talented, but jeez, did he have to be unbearable, too?

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

He shrugged.

Revali huffed, going silent for a long stretch of trail. He ran like he wanted to separate himself from Link, but, like he said before, he knew that he would get lost without him. How considerate. 

"You know what?" He flipped his fanny pack around to the front, unzipped the main pocket, reached in and pulled out his phone. "I hope you like listening to music while you run, because I, for one, don't like silence."

Sure enough, they spent the rest of the run listening to Revali's music. It was interesting. Nothing Link had heard before, but the indie sound was frustrating close to his own taste. Catchy.

He was going to end up with these songs stuck in his head, wasn't he? 

And he was going to think about Revali when he listened to them. Revali and his strong features and clashing colors that somehow worked and long legs...

Damn it.

***

When they got back to the school, both of them were coated in a fine layer of dust, stuck to them and turned half to mud by sweat. Link's mouth was so dry it didn't just feel like cotton, it felt like an entire quilted blanket. He was fairly sure his lip had cracked. Sweat was pouring down from his bangs onto his face, from his armpits and back, making his shirt cling to him unbearably. His sports bra was chafing on the sides and was not fully holding up to the activity, and right now? There were only two things on his mind.

First, water.

Second, a shower.

But now they had finally gotten to the school parking lot, Revali was turning off his music, and water had never been so close, finally in reach. They were almost there. He almost could be convinced to speed up to get there faster. 

Almost.

Revali, of course, looked nearly just as stunning as when they set out. The dust wasn't a good look on anyone, but he was completely unfazed by it, mouth just slightly open, breathing in an even rhythm with his steps, eyes set straight forward on the school doors. He was definitely speeding up a little bit, now, so...

So Link had to speed up with him.

And he may not have been in running shape. Jogging was really not a thing that he was interested in, other than being in a sport with Zelda - which was a good enough reason. But if there was one thing he could do, it was sprint.

So, wind rushing through his hair, sun still beating down on his back, he sprinted to keep up with Revali, just focusing on those school doors. His heart was racing him his chest. Breathing ragged. Thighs going numb. 

Was he going too hard right now? Yes. Was it worth it right now, just to not be left behind by this beautiful prick? Absolutely.

They both hit the doors at the same time, neither of them really considering the fact that it was a very hard, metal door that had been in the hot August sun all day. Both recoiled, panting heavily, from the hot surface.

Link stumbled backward, bending over to catch his breath, hands braced on his thighs. Black spots danced in his vision, but not too bad. Man, he really needed to drink more water. 

He licked his lip; yeah, it was definitely split.

"No, here, not like that." Revali clicked his tongue at him, putting a hand on his shoulder and a hand in his waist to straighten his posture. "Hands behind your head. Again, it'll open your airways. Bending down like that will close them up."

Link blushed at the contact, at the way he had positioned his body like that. Shit, this was going to be bad.

"Alright, I'm going inside." Revali declared. "Are you breathing?" 

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm good."

"Ohh..." Realization dawned on his face. "You sign?"

"I'm not deaf, but yeah." Link explained, then shrugged. "Kinda hard to sign when you're, you know, running."

Revali stiffened, turning red with embarrassment. "Oh. Right. Anyway, going in. Shall we?"

"Yeah, I need water, now."

"Same. Hydrate or diedrate." He rolled his eyes.

Link snickered. "What?"

"It's something everyone on the team says." Revali explained, pulling the door open and stepping in after him. "You know, you either hydrate and drink water, or... Die. But it rhymes. It's stupid, but-"

"No, it's hilarious." He chuckled, trying to push his gross hair out of his face. "I love... That. Is there a sign on the drinking fountain?"

"There had better not be."

"I mean, shouldn't you have brought your own water bottle?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow. "Most of the other actual runners did."

Revali blushed. "I- I forgot mine. Not something I often do, mind you, but I was pressed for time. Also why my outfit is so haphazard today."

"It's not so bad."

His nose wrinkled. "Compared to you? No, it isn't."

"Hey, what's wrong with-"

Link was prepared to argue, but a far more pressing matter was at hand: the drinking fountain. Sure enough, there was a big sign taped on to it declaring that it was, in fact, "Out Of Order."

"Fucking hell." Revali spat, hands clenching into fists. "This is- is nothing sacred? I'm so fucking done with this school."

"Aren't we all?" He sighed, then perked up again. "Wait, there's something written underneath, in pencil..."

In very shaky pencil writing underneath the "Out Of Order" part, was a note that read-

"Cross country team: there are water bottles in the janitor closet next to the fountain. - Coach Rhoam." Revali read aloud. "...no one calls him Coach Rhoam."

They met eyes.

"A little less shitty than before, at least." Link figured.

"True, true."

"Now water."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Revali opened the closet, and...

There was the empty wrapping for a case of plastic water bottles, left behind from the other cross country runners.

"Really? Really." Revali scowled, reaching down to grab the empty plastic. "Not even one measly water bottle left? And they leave the plastic? How considerate of-"

One last water bottle fell out of the plastic.

They met eyes again.

"Oh hell no." Link frowned. "Are we seriously fighting over this?"

"No, we aren't." He crossed his arms. "Because it's mine."

"No it isn't! You're used to running! I'm exhausted!"

"I kept you from getting lost! You owe me." Revali claimed, reaching down and grabbing the water bottle. 

"I don't owe you shit." Link scowled. "And I didn't ask you to guide me. Or tell me anything about me running form, either, since you're gonna bring it up."

He blinked. "Well, you were running terribly. It had to be fixed."

"Our coach would have fixed that."

Revali laughed. "You clearly do not know how useless our coach is."

"Yikes." Link winced. "Zel said that her dad was an awful coach, but..."

"You didn't realize how awful? Yeah." He snorted. "If you want advice from a coach, ask an opposing team's coach when we're at a meet. Other than that? Nothing."

"That's... Pretty bad."

"Precisely. Which is why, since I decided to help you out of the goodness of my heart, I deserve the water." Revali declared.

"No fucking way-

The door to the girl's locker room opened, and out came Mipha, one of the nicest girls in their class. Shit. Her and Zelda were friends, and she was actually pretty cool. Link didn't want her to see him fighting over a water bottle with Revali, so...

"...am I taking that water bottle." He added on. 

Revali, clearly, had the same idea. "Please, I insist."

"No, you kept me from getting lost." Link forced himself to sign with a smile. "You didn't have to do that."

He fake laughed really, really badly. "No, really, it's nothing. Take it."

Mipha stopped. "Oh, is that the last one?"

"Yes." Revali said, and Link nodded. "And it's-"

"-Link's." 

"-Revali's."

She laughed. "Why don't you two just share it?"

Forgetting about Mipha for a split second, they glared at each other, but then it was back to smiling, and Revali's awful fake laugh.

"Of course! That makes much more sense." 

Link raised an eyebrow, glanced down at the water bottle in Revali's hands, then back up at his face.

Revali, looking downright murderous with his blinding white fake smile, handed over the bottle. "Here you go, Link."

He had to admit, for a moment, he thought about just downing the whole thing. That was what his body wanted; he swore that he could still feel the blood circulating in the veins of his neck, and his arms, pulsing in his hands. 

But Mipha was there. And he had to prove that he was better than Revali. So he only took a decent swig, enough to revive his dead cotton mouth, then passed it back.

"Anyway, see you guys tomorrow!" Mipha waved as she walked down the hall. "Bye!"

"See you tomorrow!"

As soon as she was through the doors, the fake smiles dropped. 

"I suppose this was the civilized answer." Revali grumbled, passing the last bit of water to Link. "Here, finish it - I'm headed home."

Link tipped back the rest of the water. "See you tomorrow?"

He scoffed. "Hardly. I'll be too far ahead, remember?"

Right. As he walked away it was impossible not to watch him, the effortless grace, confidence, and poise of his movement, but...

"Gosh, what an asshole."

***

Coach Hyrule, who Link now had no confidence in, clapped. "Alright, it's good to see you all back at practice today. This year we're going to be trying something different, to promote unity as a team, as well as to train those just now joining. You will be broken up into pairs, and throughout the season expected to work together in some workouts and games, and you will be expected to run together certain days."

"Is today one of those days?" Someone asked. 

He gave them a tired glare. "What do you think?"

No answer.

"That's what I thought." Coach Hyrule took a piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolding it and squinting to try to read his own writing. "You'll be running with your partners today; varsity runners, you'll be running an additional amount, as well. Understood?"

Everyone grumbled.

"Understood?" He repeated.

A chorus of "Yes," followed.

"Good. Now, your assignments. Revali, you'll be with Link, Urbosa, you'll be with..."

They locked eyes from across the room, dread already setting in at the idea. 

And, Link had to admit, a little bit of excitement. Revali was a dick, that was for sure, but... He was kind of fun. He liked cool music, even though he would never tell him that, and he was really fucking cute. 

Damn it. He was really getting a crush, wasn't he? That was going to be really, really bad.

Coach Hyrule finished his list, refolded the paper, and tucked it back into his pocket. "Well, that's all I have for you, you'll all be running small loop. Varsity runners, add on the bog after that. Now, Urbosa, lead stretches?"

"Alright, everyone on the line!" Urbosa took control of the room, easily the only one keeping them from mutiny. "Walk on your toes!"

Link looked over at Revali again, as he swept up his long, wavy hair into that tight ponytail, walking on his toes at the same time like it was the most natural thing in the world... 

Yeah. This would be bad.

***

"So, this sucks, right?" Link rolled his eyes when they got outside, still waiting for everyone to get outside before they could go. "I don't want to run with you."

"Likewise." Revali shot back. "This is awful. And do you want to know why he's doing it?"

"Why?" 

"So that he has to do less work." He frowned, tugging at his ponytail to tighten it. "He's betting that the varsity runners, or the better junior varsity, will teach the newbies what they need to know automatically so that he has to do less as a coach."

Link wrinkled his nose. "What, like you did yesterday?"

"Hey!" Revali put his hands on his hips. "It's different when it's being forced out of you."

"No one's forcing you." He pointed out. "You could still be difficult and unhelpful."

"True, true." 

"But you won't." Link grinned. 

Revali narrowed his eyes. "Who says?"

"Me." He shrugged. "It'll bother you too much if I'm running wrong."

"...fair point. Fair point. Has anyone ever told you that you're insufferable?"

Link grinned. "Once or twice. You love it."

Revali blushed. "I love nothing of the sort, you- you-"

"Alright, everyone is here." Coach Hyrule declared. "Set your watches... and go!"

With that Link took off with the rest of the team, leaving him standing there, blinking for another couple seconds.

"Wait a second-" Revali caught up easily, falling into step effortlessly. "Damn you, Link."

Still grinning, he signed very carefully. "What? Can't keep up?"

"...you're the worst. The worst. I hate you, Link."

And Link, partially just to annoy him, only nodded in response.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at Supertinywords or Supertinydom!
> 
> Requests are open!
> 
> Comments are love <3


End file.
